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No, we are not trivializing menopause, a life stage that can include as many as 34 symptoms, but we thought it was a clever wordplay. In truth, menopause is deeply personal and varies from woman to woman. Listen to Catherine Balsam-Schwaber speak about the importance of education and science-backed information to bring menopause to the forefront.

After spending 20 years working in leadership positions in marketing for well-known brands (MTV, NBC Universal, and Mattel), Balsam-Schwaber pivoted to a role that would fulfill her passion of understanding consumer motivation and providing quality health solutions.

That role was with Kindra, a science-backed women\\u2019s health community that provides a myriad of estrogen-free menopausal products and education. Balsam-Schwaber describes how \\u201cit was destiny\\u201d when she took over as Kindra\\u2019s CEO after the company\\u2019s inception at an incubator.

Balsam-Schwaber passionately describes the stigma and silence surrounding menopause. Some women experience a myriad of symptoms, others hardly any, and many somewhere in between. The Kindra community is defining the new normal when it comes to menopause, by sharing personal stories and science-backed research.

Balsam-Schwaber uses her team members\\u2019 wisdom and the strong women-centric platform Kindra provides as a guide for the company\\u2019s goals. Listen to her explain why these voices are more valuable than any three-year plan she could come up with alone on this episode of SheVentures.

P.S. Check out Kindra\\u2019s online quiz to help you learn more about your body \\u2014 and determine where you are on your menopause journey.

Time Stamps:

• 1:29: Balsam-Schwaber describes how the skills she gained as a marketer translated to scaling a startup.
• 4:45: Are you curious about the origin of Kindra\\u2019s name?
• 13:00: Balsam-Schwaber speaks about why it is crucial to understand how menopause (an often taboo topic) affects the body
• 14:30: Balsam- Schwaber highlights the depth of feedback Kindra receives from its online quiz.
• 16:50: Lavagnino talks about how she experienced a sense of loss when she became menopausal
• 18:00: Our bodies are constantly changing. Balsam-Schwaber describes how menopause is another aspect of a woman\\u2019s health that is often stigmatized.
• 19:45: Balsam-Schwaber reiterates that it\\u2019s essential to get legitimate, factual, and science-backed information online

SheVentures note: Some additional resources to explore: the National Institute on Aging, the National Institutes of Health Menopausal Hormone Therapy Information, and the Office on Women\\u2019s Health

• 20:30: Balsam-Schwaber discusses how Kindra was initially in an incubator program, and how she became the CEO
• 22:15: Learn what it was like for Balsam-Schwaber to pivot from working at large corporations to leading a startup in the middle of a pandemic
• 29:50: Balsam-Schwaber delves into her deep passion for helping women.
• 34:00: Business tip! Balsam-Schwaber underscores why it\\u2019s a win-win when employees are in roles where they succeed, not necessarily a role they envisioned for themselves
• 39:45: Balsam-Schwaber describes how she listens to Kindra\\u2019s community to understand potential gaps.
• 42:30: Lavagnino and Balsam-Schwaber discuss the challenge of finding time for yourself and the importance of self-care